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Case Keenum Would Like Nothing Better Than a 'Payback' Performance

The way the Bears' third-team QB sees it, he owes his head coach a great deal and hopes to show the faith placed in him was justified.
Gene Chamberlain|
Case Keenum might be 38 years old but he's not too old to take off and run with the ball on occasion.
Case Keenum might be 38 years old but he's not too old to take off and run with the ball on occasion. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

The chance to play Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles for third-string quarterback Case Keenum represents a chance to pay back Bears coach Ben Johnson for enriching his career and extending it.

Keenum, who seems a bit touchy when reporters mention he is 38 years old, admits he'll be nervous if he starts Monday night against the Eagles. And he does use the word "if," even though he's the only quarterback among the top three who is even practicing at the moment due to Caleb Williams' hamstring pull and Tyson Bagent's concussion.

"I do get nervous and it’s not a scared nervous, it’s an excited nervous because I know I’m prepared," Keenum said. "I’m confident in my preparation and what I’ve done. I’m confident in my teammates, I’m confident in their preparation, I’m confident in the game plan and what my coaches have put together.

"And I say if you’re not feeling something — everybody feels it differently — I feel little butterflies. But it’s because I care. I love this game, I love this team and this Texas boy, I love Chicago, I really do. I’ve enjoyed it here."

He thought he would from the time Ben Johnson called him. Johnson had him at hello, and even moreso now after a season and two games together.

The mutual respect

"Some of the stuff that man does is unbelievable — the way he sees the game, the way he’s able to prepare guys, the way he’s able to lead," Keenum said of Johnson. "Man, I’m the biggest Ben Johnson fan. I’m here right now because of him."

It looked like Keenum was done playing after 2024 and then he got the call from Johnson, who wanted an old hand to help guide two younger QBs.

"I was retired and he called me two years ago, basically," Keenum recalled. "In my own head, I had prepared to be ready but there weren’t a lot of phone calls coming.

"He called We met. We were supposed to meet for like 15 minutes and wound up talking for 2 1/2 hours. I was like, OK I wanna do it. I wanna do it with this guy. It’s been such a pleasure. I found the love of football again working with him. I can’t say enough good things about Ben."

Coming from a family where his father, Steve, was a high school and college coach, Keenum's opinion of Johnson might count for a little more.

'I’ve been around a lot of great coaches in my lifetime, my dad being my first one," the 38-year-old Keenum said. "I see just about every coach I’ve ever had kind of like a father figure.

"Now we’re a little closer to brothers, I think, than we are father."

The brick wall

Johnson is only 39, his possible QB for Monday night is 38.

"But that respect I have for great coaches, man, you want to run through a brick wall for the man," Keenum continued. "If I get a chance to have that guy in my ear, golly, he’s gonna go down as probably the best play-caller, play designer, coach, all the above when it’s all said and done."

So it stands to reason Keenum feels well prepared even though this is an emergency situation and he normally takes very few practice snaps once preseason end. He hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2023 Johnson's prep has him feeling confidence.

"Yeah, I feel as good mentally as I’ve ever felt," he said. "Being able to see things before they happen, having a lot of banked reps. So stuff I’ve done in the past, maybe we’re not getting a ton of reps of it this week, but feel good about if I’m playing to be the one to run those plays.

"I think as far as operationally goes, I think we can do a lot of things pre-snap, try to get the right play when we can, and I think we can do a lot of fun stuff."

It won't surprise Johnson.

"He's just been a baller from the day that he was born, from what I can tell," Johnson said. "It's just he's got that way about him. He's got a knack. His teammates gravitate to him."

Whether he's 38 or 28, it's just one more quality Keenum will need when he's trying to stare across at Vic Fangio's defense after sitting and watching since 2023. Because, now he'll be taking real reps in a game and not mental reps.

"The starter usually gets all of the first team reps and maybe a few for the backup here and there," Keenum said of practices. "The backup gets all the scout team reps and other than that, it’s kind of mental reps. I’m standing behind Caleb, Tyson, getting the reps, seeing where those guys are.

"You’re trying to bank stuff from training camp. But yeah, I feel very prepared. It’s what I do every week. It’s what I’ve done for a long time. I’ve backed up a long time in this league. If my name’s called, I’m excited to be out there."

If.

It's all they have to go on at this point but that's all a backup QB ever has whether he's been in the league one year or since 2012.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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